Whoever it was that said grief comes in waves knows what it is to stand in my kitchen on a glorious late-September afternoon at the beginning of apple season. My hand spins the food mill round and round. Rich, warm sauce drips into the bowl. And I weep. [Read more…]

Tis education forms the common mind, Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined. Alexander Pope One of the major tourist attractions in Chicago is the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower and also formerly the tallest building in the world. Upon reaching the 103rd floor, visitors have the opportunity to walk out on [Read More…]

Recently Christine Organ (a blogger for this UU Collective) published a lovely post on “good enough” parenting in this competitive age. Frankly, as someone who feels like “good enough” parenting is pretty much the top of my game, I appreciated the reminder that plenty of other folks are perfectly fine parents without living up to [Read More…]

for Maggie and Lewis As the dimming fall welcomes me back, a summer memory feeds me still. We have risen with the sun, the smell of toaster waffles, and the demand that I read to you. Last night’s bedtime story put me to sleep too soon. So we clear legos from the couch, and [Read More…]

It isn’t news that there’s an inverse relation between religious piety and innovative thought. Religion is a handbrake—whether it stops humanity from going uphill or downhill is the real question. When a new study comes out telling us what we already know about secularity, my secular acquaintances do the I-told-you-so as the religious squint and [Read More…]

When I went to Ferguson I thought I had something to offer. I was wrong. There was nothing for me to offer. When I was immersed in hundreds of voices chanting “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” I raised my white hands. I raised my white voice. But all the while I knew that the pain and [Read More…]

Yesterday after church, my family and I stopped at a favorite cafe in Hartford. It’s a funky kind of place with a diverse clientele and a good Sunday brunch. I walked in while my spouse got the baby out of the car. I asked a white woman who was standing by the door whether she [Read More…]

Mystical and Scientific The author of the Gospel of Matthew reports Jesus saying, “If you welcome your sisters and brothers only, what are you doing more than others? (5:47) Monk and mystic Thomas Merton wrote about one of his mystical experiences: “Yesterday, in Louisville, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, I suddenly realized that [Read More…]